Around Town

See When Watertown Residents Can Use BB&N Fields

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The BB&N fields will be open to use by Watertown residents on weekends. The following announcement was provided by the Recreation Department:

The Recreation Department is excited about the new Buckingham Browne & Nichols Athletic Facility which held its grand opening on September 8, 2022. This Complex is state of the art and will be utilized by the athletic and recreational programs offered by the Buckingham Browne and Nichols School as well as the Recreation Department, School Athletic Programs, Youth Groups and will be made available to “Free Play” for “Watertown Residents Only” at scheduled times. See the schedule below. Please follow all rules and regulations that are clearly marked at the facility.

Around Town

Watertown’s Shick House to be Remembered with Historic Marker

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Watertown Free Public LibraryThe Shick House has been located on Grove Street since the 1800s. It was home to the owners of one of the few Jewish farmers in Massachusetts. Bob Bloomberg recalls the first time he got to look inside the Shick House. The house oozed history, but it was clear then, he said, that the home of the owners of one of the few Jewish-owned farms in Massachusetts was not in good shape. “I was in the house twice, the first time was about a year ago, and at that point we could go to the second floor,” said Bloomberg, a member of the Historical Society’s board who has researched the history of the house.

Around Town

Scholarships Available for Watertown Residents to Attend BB&N Summer Camp

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The City of Watertown provided the following announcement:

The Watertown Recreation Department is pleased to announce the offering of a limited number of scholarships for Watertown families whose children would like to attend the Buckingham Browne & Nichols Summer Camp. Each candidate must have a demonstrated and documented need for financial assistance or has a special circumstance that is considered exceptional. The City of Watertown is grateful to the Buckingham Browne & Nichols School for offering this outstanding opportunity. The camp options are identified at https://bbnsummer.com/, and scholarships are for any of their programs. Each child may attend one week of camp and if awarded the scholarship will be in theamount of $250.00 toward the cost of the camp. This scholarship is available for Watertown residents only.

Artificial Turf

Residents Air Concerns Over Artificial Turf & Field Sharing with BB&N, Council Maintains Agreement

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BB&NThe plan of the athletic complex on Grove Street, on the right, presented in November 2020 when the City of Watertown and Buckingham Browne & Nichols School (BB&N) agreed to a field sharing plan that includes the City’s fields at Filippello Park. Residents for and against the field sharing agreement between the City of Watertown and Buckingham Browne & Nichols School spoke for nearly two hours Wednesday night during a special City Council meeting. In the end, the Council took no action, which means the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the city and the school remains in effect. Opponents of the agreement focused mostly on health and safety concerns due to the two fields being covered with artificial turf. Others said they were concerned that the Council entered the agreement without knowing artificial turf would be installed, and that the agreement calls for “green open space,” which they said means grass.

Around Town

LETTER: Setting Record Straight on Info Given to Council on BB&N Field Agreement

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It is disheartening when I hear inaccurate and contradicting statements that collectively refer to sitting Town Councilors; inclusive of myself. 

I fully dispute the allegation that follows:

“…..Some Council members have indicated privately that they were not aware of BB&N’s switch from natural grass to synthetic turf.”….. ​Please note the following email, and attachment, that were sent to the Town Councilors on 11/10/2020 at 12:59 P.M., as Executive Session material for the evening’s meeting at 6:00 P.M. A full two weeks prior to the vote for the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 11/24/2020. At this time; there is nothing privileged within this communication that I share. One of the submissions stated:

“most updated rendering”, at that point in time, dated 11/04/2020. Clearly printed on the document is the statement: “PROPOSED MULTI-PURPOSE SYNTHETIC FIELD”. The email, and accompanying materials, were sent to all nine Town Councilors, confirming synthetic turf.

Around Town

City Council Hosting Meeting to Re-Consider Fields Agreement With BB&N

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown’s Town Hall. The City Council will host a special meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. to take another look at the agreement about use of fields made by City with Buckingham Browne & Nichols. In November 2020, the Council voted approve an agreement between Watertown and the school to share fields. BB&N would have access to nearby fields at Filippello Park in the hours right after school, and Watertown residents could use BB&N’s fields in the evenings and on weekends.

Government

Town’s Agreement on Fields with BB&N to be Discussed at Special Town Council Meeting

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BB&NA planning document showing the design for the athletic field to be built by Buckingham, Browne & Nichols School on Grove Street. The agreement between the Town of Watertown and Buckingham Browne & Nichols School will be discussed Tuesday at a Special Town Council Meeting. In November 2020, the Town entered a Memorandum of Understanding with the Cambridge-based private school over land the school plans to put two athletic fields with synthetic turf on Grove Street. A petition signed by more than 700 people asking the Town to reconsider the agreement was submitted to the Town Council. The residents who signed the petition oppose the use of synthetic turf, and note that the Memorandum of Understanding calls for “open green space,” and does not specifically include wording about synthetic turf.

Government

Planning Board Approves BB&N Fields Project with Objections About Artificial Turf

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BB&NA planning document showing the design for the athletic field to be built by Buckingham, Browne & Nichols School on Grove Street. The project has met resistance from residents who oppose using artificial turf on the fields. After receiving many letters and comments opposing the installation of artificial turf at a new athletic complex being proposed by Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, the Planning Board grudgingly approved the project. The decision was made with strong objections by members of the board and after efforts to delay the vote proved unsuccessful. The project would build two athletic fields on property at 165 Grove Street, just north of Filippello Park.